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Cheri's Arizona Sunrise Muffins (using prickly pear jelly)
Prickly Pear Jelly

Book Description

THE PRICKLY PEAR COOKBOOK is designed to teach you everything you need to know about how to pick, prepare and cook with this mysterious plant. THE PRICKLY PEAR COOKBOOK contains 60 recipes from world-renowned chefs in New York, California, Texas, Arizona and even a few recipes from Israel. THE PRICKLY PEAR COOKBOOK explains not only the joys of cooking with this cactus, but also the benefits of indulging in this healthy treat. Prickly pear has been shown to lower blood sugar in those with Type II diabetes, lower cholesterol and may assist in helping the body respond to physical, psychological and biological stress.

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The Prickly Pear Cookbook

Authors: Carolyn Niethammer

Date:

ISBN: 1887896562

Publisher: Rio Nuevo Publishers

Paperback

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Prickly Pear Jelly
Recipe from: The Prickly Pear Cookbook
by Carolyn Niethammer
Cookbook Heaven at Recipelink.com

This recipe for Prickly Pear Jelly comes from the home economists at the Pima County (Arizona) Extension Service. It usually works, but the making of a firm jelly depends on a number of complicated reactions. Because prickly pears are a wild fruit, the home cook has no way to gauge their exact chemical properties. Cheri Romanowski of Cheri’s Desert Harvest ended up having to call in a food chemist to help her devise a foolproof method for making her commercial jelly. You will have the best luck by following this recipe exactly, using several under-ripe pears and adding a little lemon or lime juice for added pectin. If your jelly doesn’t set up, call it syrup, and use it in the many delicious recipes in this book calling for prickly pear syrup.

Makes 6 half-pint jars

1 package powdered pectin
2 1/2 cups prickly pear juice
3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
3 1/2 cups sugar

To prepare the fruit: Using tongs, gather 15 to 20 prickly pears. Choose red, ripe fruits, with a few underripe ones also. Roll them on the ground to get off the large stickers. Fill a bowl or dishpan with water and rinse the fruit, scrubbing lightly with a vegetable brush. Slice each fruit into two or three pieces and transfer to a large pot; barely cover with water.
To make the jelly: Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Mash with a potato masher or process in a blender or food processor.
Line a colander or wire strainer with two thicknesses of cheesecloth and strain the juice. Set strained juice aside so sediment can settle to the bottom. For a clear jelly, do not use this sediment.
Measure juice; you will need 2 1/2 cups. If you have more than this, boil it down to concentrate. The stronger the juice, the tastier your jelly will be.

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